The Woman Who Stood Up to the Porn Industry—and Won
Laurie Schlegel, a certified sex addiction therapist, first decided to take on the porn industry after hearing Billie Eilish talking about the damage pornography did to her as a child. (All photos by Emily Kask for The Free Press)
Louisiana legislator Laurie Schlegel wanted porn websites to do more to protect her state’s children. Now her law is the blueprint for the rest of the country.
Before Laurie Schlegel decided to run in a special election to fill a seat in Louisiana’s House of Representatives in 2021, she asked her son for permission.
“I asked him and he just boldly told me like, ‘Mom, I’m 16 and I love you and please don’t take offense to this, but I just don’t need you as much anymore,” explains Schlegel, in a black jumpsuit, …
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